SAC Newsletter

This is the 22nd year for the Syrian American Club Scholarship Program and qualified students in our community are invited to apply to the program for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Students who graduated from high school this year and plan to attend college are encouraged to apply. Students who are undergraduates in a four year college program may also apply if they are in their junior year or below.

Help "Spread The Warmth" this winter, by donating NEW twin, queen, or king-sized winter blankets to families in need!

The Syrian American Club is organizing a blanket drive at the Al-Sham Center this Saturday, November 5th, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. These blankets will be distributed to refugee families who live in Houston without many basic necessities. Your donation is much appreciated.

The purpose of this letter is to notify you of the upcoming election for the members of the Board of Directors (hereinafter the “Board) of the Syrian American Club, Inc. of Houston, Texas (hereinafter the “Club”) and to encourage you to participate in that election.

The election will be held during the General Assembly meeting that will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at Al-Sham Center, which is located on 5729 Winsome Avenue, Houston, Texas 77057.

Please note that no nominations will be taken from the floor during the upcoming General Assembly meeting. Instead, a mechanism has been put in place that will allow all active members of the Club to submit nominations ahead of time as outlined hereunder.

The relevant requirements, qualifications, and procedures for the upcoming election are as follows:

In order for a member to be eligible to nominate or be nominated for the Board, or to vote for any Board member at the upcoming election, that person must be an active member of the Club, which means that he or she cannot be delinquent on the payment of membership dues. If you have any questions with relation to your membership status, you may contact Susan Malas at (713) 266-5577 or email syrianamericanclub@yahoo.com.

The minimum age of a Board member is twenty-five (25) years of age.

Please send your nomination, using the attached Nomination Form, to the Club’s Secretary, Judy Sultan, c/o The Syrian American Club, P.O. Box 571954, Houston, Texas 77257; or via email to syrianamericanclub@yahoo.com. When doing so, you are requested to include a brief biography of the nominee and the name of two references for the nominee. Your nominations must be received by no later than December 4, 2016, to be considered.

Self-nominations are acceptable.

Once the Club has a list of all the nominees, the Club will prepare a list of those nominees and a form on which the members can cast their votes.

All Board members shall be elected by a majority vote. In case of a tie, a re-balloting shall be required only for the specific position. If another tie decision is reached the presiding Chair shall cast the decisive vote.

A member entitled to vote may cast his vote in person, by absentee vote, or by proxy. Absentee vote or vote by proxy must be signed by the active member, and must be received by the Club prior to the December 11, 2016, meeting.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the upcoming General Assembly Meeting.

Collateral Repair Project, a U.S. grassroots organization that helps Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Amman, Jordan with food, housing, education and trauma relief, will be making a presentation about their efforts at Al-Sham Center on October 16th at 5:00 pm. See flyer for additional details.

Local Syrian-American Club families came out to support local refugees just arriving from Syria. In collaboration with Al-Amaanah Refugee Services, the SAC brought Eid toys for refugee kids during the Eid Al-Fitr celebration. Check out the photos from the event.

Check out our Facebook page for even more photos! Don't forget to tag your friends and family.

Author

The Syrian American Club was founded in 1991 by a group of individuals who believed in the strength and quality of the Syrian community in Houston. The Club provides a sense of community to its members, and its many activities are aimed at both social and philanthropic purposes. This newsletter gives insight to upcoming and past events, as well as interesting news from around the Houston Syrian-American community.